How would you rate your cell phone company’s customer service? To get the answers to these questions, we conducted a survey and here are some of the words consumers used most often:
Dread
Frustrated
Angry
Hopeful
I’ll bet you can add some of your own words to that list, but the end result would probably be more negative ones than positive.
Customer service basics are a part of all inside sales positions. How are you at these crucial skills?
Take the following quiz yourself and … [Read more...]

Most of the agents and advisors we train are amazed to find out that asking your clients the right sales questions, can make such a huge difference… Not only in making a sale… But also, in the size of the sale! Why? Because asking the right sales questions is how you find out what’s important to your clients. Which also helps you to provide your clients with the right solution to their problems. Plus, when you ask the right sales questions… Your clients will tell you exactly what you need to do … [Read more...]

Years ago, they used to say you had just a couple of minutes to make a good impression when selling over the phone.
As the Internet got popular and email lost its luster, they said you had just a minute to grab someone’s attention and earn the right to continue your pitch.
Then as texting became the new mode of personal communication, that one minute shrunk to about 30 seconds…
These days, as even texting is being ignored, you’ve got about 5 seconds to diffuse the myriad of emotions and … [Read more...]

Who hasn’t been surprised when we have worked hard on a proposal, inquiry or connection of any kind - and then the recipient goes radio silent?
Often people don’t know how to “reject “ us so they do nothing and that can often leave us waiting, in limbo and basically - we just want to know.
Others, unfortunately, are discourteous and may have forgotten what it feels like if the shoe was on the other foot.
There may be no interest or some uncertainty, however, I would much rather someone … [Read more...]

Nothing is more frustrating than making an appointment with a good sales prospect and then calling and getting their voicemail at the time of the meeting.
Actually, there is something more frustrating: having to then chase these sales prospects and never connecting with them again!
If you would like to make your appointments more “sticky” and actually have your sales prospects be there when you call, then follow the 5 steps below:
Step One: Don’t just send a meeting request and then … [Read more...]

If you’re an inside sales manager, then you know all about metrics. In fact, whenever I consult with new clients, the owners and managers automatically begin showing me their call monitoring reports. They show me metrics on how many calls a rep is making, how much average time each rep spends on the phone, what the top of the funnel looks like, what their conversion rate is, and so on.
When they ask me what I think, I tell them they are missing the most important thing. Now don’t get me … [Read more...]

Let's face it, the 'Old Style Sales Techniques' that have been taught for the past 50 years or more have completely lost their effectiveness. People today are too smart to fall for all those sales mind games and gimmicks. Sales occur 98% of the time because the prospect has developed some respect and trust for the insurance agent. That type of relationship is born from having real conversations with people.
Today, you must learn to ask the RIGHT questions to get your insurance prospects to … [Read more...]

Overcoming objections can be hazardous to your sales efforts. Stay with me for a minute…
How do you usually react when you state an opinion about something and someone immediately tries to rebut your opinion?
You probably get just a bit aggravated inside, don’t you? How dare you disagree or try to correct my opinion before you understand what I’m really thinking?
Is this how you make your prospects and clients feel when you attempt to change their perspective about something?
What’s … [Read more...]

Rejection can be hard. This is especially true when your livelihood depends on the active participation and support of your clients. There are few phrases that a salesperson dreads more than the word “no.”
And it comes in many forms:
“I’m not interested”
“It’s too expensive”
“I don’t want to be tied to another contract”
“I already have insurance/retirement savings”
“Maybe some other time”
“I really don’t understand annuities”
“I really don’t need an annuity”
“John … [Read more...]

There has been a lot of talk recently about “objections”, what they are, how to prevent them, how to deal with them. That’s great, but you may be asking yourself: What do I actually say or do to overcome or get around them?
For those of you who have been reading my blog for years, know, I’m all about giving you and your team proven, word-for-word scripts and talk tracks so you can successfully deal with the common objections and resistance statements you get, day in and day out.
Today’s … [Read more...]